Top 5 contemporary artists catching my eye right now
In no particular order...
1. WILL MARTYR
Unit London's new protégé, Will Martyr is an exciting artist whose work seems reminiscent of late 1950s pop art, but with a modern, architectural twist. The clean lines and the bright colours so aesthetically pleasing that they draw the viewer into the idyllic settings of his paintings, making us feel wistful or even nostalgic of places we've never even been to.
His debut solo exhibition with Unit, entitled Wanderlust, opens later this week, and with the social-media generated buzz currently surrounding the work, it seems one not to be missed.
Instagram: @wmartyr
2. DINA BRODSKY
Dina Brodsky's work is equally fascinating and delightful to look at, and I find myself forever impressed by the amount of detail the artist has managed to squeeze onto such tiny working surface areas. The classic, natural landscape seems to be a motif rarely used now in contemporary art, perhaps because it may seem old-fashioned or unoriginal; however Brodsky completely reinvents the genre. Her miniatures show just small snapshots of beautiful scenery, the size drawing the viewer closer to admire the detail, and the circular composition making them each seem as though they could be separate little planets - mini utopian worlds inspired by the most alluring aspects of Earth.
Instagram: @dinabrodsky
3. MARTINE JOHANNA
Martine Johanna is a well-established artist in the Netherlands, whose work explores identity, age, nostalgia and the subconscious in the form of stunning, whimsical female portraits.
Her unique style of working is instantly recognisable through the distinctive prismatic colour palettes, which further adds to this surreal, dream-like feel. The bright colours make her work playful and exciting, whilst the viewer is further captivated by the thoughtful or "unsure" expression of her subjects.
Instagram: @martinejohanna
4. MIKE DARGAS
German-born artist Mike Dargas has been a favourite of mine ever since I first came across his work on Instagram; with his sensual, hyper-realistic oil paintings never ceasing to amaze me with their technical brilliance.
Many contemporary portrait artists work to produce these exquisite, photo-realistic oil paintings; however there is something very unique and seductive about Dargas' interesting, wet-look compositions, especially in the flesh as I was lucky enough to experience them in 2015, during his first and only UK solo exhibition at the Opera Gallery, London.
Instagram: @mikedargas2014
5. ZHUANG HONG YI
The work of Zhuang Hong Yi was one of my initial inspirations when it came to working with colour; after experiencing one of his famous colour-changing walls featured in an exhibition at Unit London. His pieces are impressive, not just due to their size and beautiful, illusive aesthetic effect, but by the amazing craftsmanship that goes into creating each delicate rice paper petal.
Instagram: @zhuanghongyiart
All images taken from artist's own websites, or Instagram profiles.